#public-corruption

#public-corruption

The unit will be housed within the Office of Statewide Prosecution, which Uthmeier oversees, and will be tasked with conducting an audit of "legislative appropriations" over the last two years as well as investigating bribes, kickbacks, conflicts of interest, and money spent towards "personal gain rather than for the good of the public," Uthmeier said at a news conference at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Regional Operations Center in Miami.

Shihata spent more than a decade as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, where she worked on major racketeering and public corruption cases, including serving as a lead prosecutor in the R&B singer R. Kelly's racketeering and sexual misconduct trial, which resulted in a 30-year prison sentence in September 2021 after Kelly was convicted on all nine charges he faced.

Prosecutors said she created false backdated contracts after being subpoenaed for records related to a federal Covid-19 stimulus program and later made false statements to FBI agents. This is a crucial step in an ongoing political corruption investigation that began more than three years ago, said Eric Grant, interim US attorney for the Eastern District of California. Williamson pleaded not guilty during a court hearing Wednesday. Matthew Rowan, a lawyer for Williamson, declined to comment further to reporters after the hearing.

Polls show Prop 50, of which the governor is chief promoter, heading for a big victory Tuesday, and he now has the names of 100,000 donors to the Yes campaign whom he can contact if he runs for president.

Opening statements are expected to begin today (Oct. 27) in the embezzlement trial of former San Mateo County Community College chancellor Ron Galatolo. Galatolo, 60, of Menlo Park, is accused of taking bribes from contractors hired to expand and renovate the college, which has campuses in Redwood City, San Mateo and San Bruno. The work was funded by three bond measures, which were approved by voters and totaled $1 billion. Galatolo is free on $150,000 cash bail.

The United States Supreme Court's recent decisions in Snyder vs. United States and Trump vs. U.S. have caused concern for many over the long-term implications of prosecuting government officials. Experts warn these two decisions could make it harder to pursue public corruption charges because of immunity granted for "official acts" and narrowing the scope of what is considered illegal gratuity.

Susman Godfrey has successfully challenged a Trump executive order aimed at limiting the firm's legal capabilities, marking a significant victory for the firm in a politically charged environment.

Broward's Public Corruption Unit found no evidence to charge Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo with criminal wrongdoing after allegations of stalking and threats.